14th District Council Race: Let's Try Something Different

The race for City Council in the 14th District has generated hundreds of comments on this blog. We're glad that people are using the blog as a forum to discuss the race, and we encourage everyone's ongoing commenting and participation.

However, we've noticed that few if any of the comments have anything to do with issues, and most are about the candidate's personalities and unsubstantiated rumors, etc. And there have been virtually no press releases from the campaigns outlining their positions, etc.

We'd like to get a conversation going here about the issues. Where do the candidates stand on school overcrowding, the development of the Kingsbridge Armory, economic development in general, open space issues, affordable housing, school closings, etc.

So let us know where your candidate stands on these and any other issues you can think of and be as specific as possible. Or if you're not supporting a candidate, and have questions about where they stand on a particular issue, fire away.

One more thing: For this string, we ask that you don't attack other candidates -- I think we've all had quite enough of that. The purpose of this is to find out what the candidates' positions are on issues.

School and Community Center Being Built in Mt. Eden

In what was described by many as “a great day in the Bronx,” the Settlement Housing Fund, a non-profit organization, began construction on its New Settlement Community Campus in the Mt. Eden neighborhood. Located on Jerome Avenue between West 172nd Street and Globe Place, the site will include a pre-K – 12th grade public school, community center, and a state-of-the-art indoor swimming facility.

Pricilla Henegen, a 19-year resident of the neighborhood, who plans to send her grand niece to the school, could not contain her excitement for the new complex. “I wish they had it when I moved in,” she said.

The project is expected to be completed by 2012 and create over 1,000 new seats for students in a neighborhood characterized by overcrowded schools. The Department of Education will own the school, but New Settlement Apartments (located adjacent to the site and a project of the Settlement Housing Fund) will provide facilities management for both the school and community center. Total development costs for the school, center, and pool are estimated to be $83 million.

New Settlement Apartments' executive director, Jack Doyle, credits the collaboration of several government and private funding sources for the realization of the complex in a community that has been the scene of many rehabilitation efforts on the part of the organization over the past twenty years. Since 1987 the Settlement Housing Fund has been running affordable housing buildings and offering youth and parental development programs to the community.

“The future of many children and generations of children to come rests in large part on our success,” Doyle said. “We have no choice but to be successful.”

Lt. Governor Richard Ravitch and Deputy Mayor Dennis Walcott attended the groundbreaking ceremony and both echoed praise for the organization and its vision. Ravitch called the school and community center the perfect combination that he hopes to see repeated. “[The Settlement Housing Fund] always manages to rise at a problem with a solution,” Ravich said. “They have made life better for tens of thousands of citizens.”

Top photo: Deputy Borough President Aurelia Greene (left); Jack Doyle, New Settlement Apartments executive director (second from left); Councilmember Maria Baez (center). Bottom photo: Lt. Governor Richard Ravitch

Espaillat calls Tapia a 'Bad Dominican'

Yudelka Tapia's campaign wants Assemblyman Adriano Espaillat to apologize after he allegedly called her a "bad Dominican" during last Sunday's Dominican Day Parade.

Espaillat, a Dominican-American who represents parts of Upper Manhattan, has endorsed Fernando Cabrera, an opponent of Tapia's in the race for the 14th District City Council seat.

"In our community there are good Dominicans and there are bad Dominicans and that is why I am supporting Fernando Cabrera," Espillat told the Public Access show Contacto, according to Tapia's campaign.

"Assemblyman Espillat [sic] needs to apologize to all of the women of the Bronx for maligning one of our most distinguished community leaders," said Lucila Rutinel, who heads the Committee Dominicanas for Yudelka, in a press release. "In this climate when so many public officials have come under investigatory scrutiny it is offensive for Assemblyman Espiallat [sic] to refer to our sister - whom he knows well - as a Bad Dominican."

Bronx News Roundup, August 12

Yesterday, the 14-year old accomplice of Cheyenne Cherry, a 17-year old who trashed the Bronx apartment and killed the cat of a former friend, pleaded guilty to charges of burglary and animal cruelty. The accomplice, identified as Whitney B., received a sentence of 18 months in juvenile jail.

In news that concerns all of New York City, yesterday Governor Paterson renewed mayoral control of the city's public school system until 2015.

More on that plumb Senate job Pedro Espada's on has landed.

The BoogieDowner blog and the Bedford Mosholu Community Organization are trying to save the post office near the Botanical Garden and Webster Avenue from elimination. Visit BoogieDowner to sign the petition to object to the closing of the post office. For more news on post office closures around New York City, the New York Times reports that seven Bronx postal branches are in danger of closing.

In other BoogieDowner news, the blog posted a glowing review of the newly named Pho Mien Tay, formerly known as the World of Taste Seafood. Pho Mien Tay is a Vietnamese restaurant located on Jerome Avenue near the Kingsbridge Armory.

Maria Baez Shows Up to Support Local Supermarkets

After noticeably missing BP Ruben Diaz’s public hearing on the Kingsbridge Armory’s redevelopment process, 14th District City Councilwoman Maria Baez took to the streets yesterday afternoon to support local supermarkets. These smaller, localized supermarkets feel threatened by the large-scale supermarket included in the plans for the redevelopment of the armory.

In the past, Baez has been criticized for not being actively involved in the redevelopment of the armory, especially since it falls within her district. However, yesterday Baez said the Kingsbridge Amory redevelopment is “a very important priority” for her.

Yesterday afternoon, Baez (center) stood her ground outside a C-Town Supermarket on the corner of University Avenue and Fordham Road supporting local businesses and “opposing big box stores.” Baez holds that if Related Companies, the developer, builds a shopping mall with a brand name supermarket, “thousands of local jobs” will be lost in the process. Instead of filling the armory with large corporate stores, Baez said the Kingsbridge Amory should be transformed into “a place where our children can go, a recreation center.”

Standing tall behind Baez at her press conference outside of C-Town was the owner of the supermarket, Jose Frias and a handful of other local supermarket and bodega owners. In the press release for the event, Frias said, “Maria Baez recognizes the contributions that small business owners have made to the Kingsbridge neighborhood.”

Despite Baez’s press conference at C-Town, the Morton Williams supermarket appears to be the major opponent to the Kingsbridge Armory supermarket. Since Morton Williams is located directly across the street from the armory, competition would be fierce between the two potential food stores.

Although Baez did not specifically mention Morton Williams, she was clearly sending out another message unrelated to supermarkets: Vote for me! With signs reading “Vote Maria Baez” plastered on walls lining the C-Town, Baez chose to combine campaigning for reelection with her opposition to the Kingsbridge Armory supermarket.

After the conference, Baez briefly discussed the Kingsbridge Amory Redevelopment Alliance’s (KARA) fight for securing a living wage at the future stores in the mall. “I have been working with KARA and there is a lot that we need to look at and address,” she said.

As for negotiating a Community Benefits Agreement (CBA) with Related Companies, Baez said that if reelected, this would be the third time she has been involved in a CBA, so she is familiar with the process.

In 16th District City Council Race, Four Candidates Become Three

After a tumultuous encounter with the Board of Elections, only three candidates running for the 16th District City Council, covering parts of the West and South Bronx, succeeded in garnering a spot on the primary ballot. Incumbent Helen Foster, Carlos Sierra and Mark Escoffery-Bey made the cut while longtime contender, Daryl Johnson, fell out of the race due to a challenge to his petition signatures (see more about the process here).

Johnson was not the only candidate forced to maneuver through the complexities of the petitioning process. Both Sierra and Escoffery-Bey went to court last week to argue the validity of their petition signatures. By the end of the week, Sierra and Escoffery-Bey complied over 900 legitimate petitions and made it on the ballot while Johnson came up short in the numbers and was booted off of the ballot.

Now that the ballot is secure, candidates are honing in on their campaigns and making one final push to win over voters.

Helen Foster has yet to respond to phone calls, but she is backed by the Bronx Democratic Party and appears to focusing her campaign on her level of experience in City Council, according to her website. Foster has served two-terms as a City Council representative for District 16. Over Foster’s years on City Council, she has made headlines for, among other things, voting against the new Yankee Stadium and missing the vote on congestion pricing.

The neighborhood surrounding Yankee Stadium is also an issue for one of Foster’s opponents, Carlos Sierra. Sierra’s campaign manager, Andrew Lisko, said Sierra hopes to “put pressure on the Yankee organization to ensure the expansion of green space” such as parks and not the “turf fields” the developers put up instead of natural areas.

Another major issue for Sierra is education. As a member of the CUNY Board of Trustees, Sierra secured millions of dollars to improve education and has experience in dealing with politicians in the education field. Lisko said Sierra “wants more parental influence at the Board of Education and he wants to improve the mayor’s test standards.”

Lisko said that Sierra will be an effective councilman because “he is in touch with the people. Helen Foster saw term limits were coming her way and she slowed down in the last few years. Foster has a 68% attendance rate [at council meetings and hearings]. Sierra will really be involved and known around the neighborhood as a full time city council member.”

Another candidate on the ballot is political newcomer, Mark Escoffery-Bey. Escoffery-Bey has been involved with the community as the vice president of the parent association of PS109 in Morris Heights, but he has yet to hold a political office.

At his petition hearing last week, he expressed his confidence in his ability to win the primary election. He explained that his campaign speed is increasing on an almost vertical path while Foster’s campaign speed is only at a slight incline. As for how he will improve the community, Escoffery-Bey says that he will “time travel.” In essence, this means that he pictures the solution to the community’s problem and works backwards from this image to achieve it.

As for campaign finances, Helen Foster has a comfortable lead in the monetary department with $55, 300 and is tailed by Carlos Sierra with $14, 535 and Mark Escoffery-Bey with $9, 072.

Bronx News Roundup, August 11

The Daily News examines a number of questionable issues in the race for the 14th district City Council.

This Saturday and Sunday, Dexter Gardiner and the Gardiner Family Foundation will host the fourth annual Gardiner Memorial Basketball Classic Tournament at St. James Park.

The Bronx Parks Department has come under fire from the Outsiders, a Bronx youth baseball team, for not providing regular maintenance for baseball fields.

Teddy Ferrer, an employee of Tuff City, a store in the Bronx that combines graffiti, tattooing and a music studio, was recently interviewed by the New York Times about his graffiti and tattooing skills.

Police are investigating a possible series of hate crimes against West African Muslims in the Claremont neighborhood of the Bronx.

As if obtaining the position of Senate majority leader was not enough of a reward to end Pedro Espada Jr.'s June coup of the Senate, now Espada Jr.'s son will fill the newly created position as "deputy director of intergovernmental relations." Pedro G. Espada, a former city councilman, will earn $120,000 a year working for the Senate.

Yesterday, the MTA released a new $28 billion, five year plan to improve the New York City bus and subway systems. Included in the plan is the renovation of four subway stations along the 6 line in the Bronx.

BoogieDowner blogger, Erin Cicalese, contacted Community Board 7 about removing unsightly graffiti on a WWI monument on Mosholu Parkway and succeeded in getting help to clean up the monument. The New York Daily News covers Cicalese's story here.

The New York Dormitory Authority plans to spend $637 million on the construction of buildings for public and private universities and nonprofit health care facilities in the Bronx.

We shall have FUN

On the corner of Putnam Place and Reservoir Oval East, I saw these children totally committed to enjoying themselves. I could have stood there for days making photographs, but had to leave. There is no substitute for the real thing, but here is some bottled fun, I hope you enjoy the photographs. Stay cool and have FUN!

Applebee's Opens at Fordham Plaza

While many avid diners continue to see one restaurant fold after another, given these questionable economic times, there is one restaurant chain that is not slowing down. Applebee's Neighborhood Bar and Grill opened a brand new location today at Fordham Plaza. The restaurant says it received over 6,000 applications for the 250 positions it created.

The company plans to open another restaurant in late August at the Bronx Terminal Market.

National Night Out in the Bronx

Last Tuesday, the Bronx played host to several National Night Out events, including one on Morris Avenue at East 182nd Street (the first five photos) and another on Tiebout at East 183rd (the second five).

Currently its 26th year, National Night Out brings together local residents, community leaders, and police officers, with the aim of "taking back" the streets from criminals, and improving police-community relations.

Across the country, close to 40 million people took part.

Photos by Alma Watkins

Bronx News Roundup, August 10

ProPublica, a nonprofit news organization, found that the Bronx has the highest unemployment and poverty levels in New York. Despite this, 13 other counties are receiving more money from the federal stimulus package. The Bronx has currently received $258 million from stimulus packages and WNYC chronicles how different reporters analyze the use of this money.

After multiple protests from the public and Bronx politicians, Fannie Mae canceled their online auction of 19 Bronx buildings. The buildings, owned by Oncelot Capital Group, are in disrepair. Opponents of the auction, including Senator Chuck Schumer, are happy that Fannie Mae did not hold the auctions and sell the buildings to another speculator like Oncelot.

A Bronx-born contestant, Kenny Bermudez, on MTV's America's Best Dance Crew reflects on how he chose dancing over a life of crime. Now as a part of the Bronx-based dance crew, Rhythm City, Bermudez teaches dance classes at the Bronxdale Community Center and tours around the world.

Yesterday, a Bronx man, Angel Cruz, was killed after being hit by a car when walking along Interstate 87. Police are still looking for suspects for the hit-and-run incident.

Police continue to search for a suspect involved in a fatal shooting on Friday night.

In more crime news over the weekend, two Bronx brothers are now facing charges in the death of a Manhattan Holocaust survivor.

Saturday was a day of celebration for many New Yorkers as Bronx native, Judge Sonia Sotomayor was officially sworn into the Supreme Court.

Also over the weekend, a moped accident proved fatal as it left a father dead and his son injured.

A BoogieDowner blogger is wondering why the NY Daily News is so aggressive in covering Bronx real estate. Do they have a vested interest?

Battle the Bug

August 6th to the 9th: Kleenex Battle the Bug exhibit at the Asia gate entrance of the Bronx Zoo is educating children and parents on how to avoid a cold or flu by following basic hygiene practices. The exhibit has fun interactive games like Whack-a-Bug, Battle the Bug and Trap a Bug. I made these photographs on Friday Aug 7. Please click on the images for captions.